DNA

[det-montoya.livejournal.com]

A dry erase marker is an essential tool of the trade. Montoya has taken over the white board in the break room. On it is a scribbled out spreadsheet. Victims, gang or crime family affiliations, locations, murder weapons found if any, and last but not least, DNA notes. On the list are two familiar names... Andropov and Finnegan. To it, she now adds John Doe, Russian Mafia, and Rey Chaparro, Coyote Locos. The third name she adds was a Red Dragon.

Five cases total. Two in Gotham, three in Bludhaven. Dissimilar weapons, dissimilar affiliations. They all have one thing in common... DNA. The longer she looks at it, the more convinced she becomes the answer lies there.

Why these five men? Who benefits? Josie's comment from a week prior comes back to her brain. "Y'know what I've been wondering over the past couple months? If we're about to see a feeding frenzy here in Gotham." An all out gang war? Who would gain from it? Someone from outside looking to sweep in and snatch up territory? Manipulate the playing field so that your adversaries wipe each other out? The other motive she reasons is a matter of resources. A supplier could make big bucks supplying both sides with arms. Or any other needed materials.

Her eyes fall on the Red Dragon. A DNA anomaly like the others. This DNA however has an owner. Had an owner, she corrects herself. Carlos Ribeiro. Dead now four months. How did his DNA get onto that body? What's the connection? Who was Carlos Ribeiro anyway? Where did he live? What did he do for a living? Did he have family? How did he die?

Where to go from here? Montoya shakes her head. This case seems to produce more questions than answers. She'll start with Senor Ribeiro and the city of Bludhaven.